Tube-joint.



' G. POLITZ.

TUBE JOINT.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 29,1907.

91 1, 156, Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

E srrnrns a ration.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed June 29, 1907. Serial N 0. 381,454.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV PoLrrz, a subject of the Kingof Prussia, and residing at Meisterstrasse 18, Kattowitz, Upper Silesia,

ermany, have invented certain new and useful Imfprovements in Tube-Joints, of which the ollowing is a specification. i

The present invention relates to tubejoints and in particular to tube-joints for surface-condensers.

The tube-joints according to the present invention enable the cold water tubes of surface-condensers to be readily removed for cleaning purposes and replaced again and they also remain tight when the tubes expand and also when the difference between the pressure at opposite sides of the tube plate 6001116 ZGI'O A tube-joint according to the present invention and its mode of ap lication to a condenser are illustrated in t e accompanying drawing, in which:-

igure 1 is a cross-section, and Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section through a condenser of the kind to which the joint may be applied. Fig. 3 illustrates in section two tu e-joints according to the invention, and 4 is an end of one of the joints shown in Referring in the first place to Figs. 1 and 2 which illustrate a condenser of the ty e to which the joint may\with particular axlvantage be applied, a is the casing of thecond'enser, 6 and b are its end-covers; c are the water tubes,f and f 1 the tube-plates forming with the casing a the condenser chamber, and d and e are partitions for guiding the steam and cold water in contrary directions. A is the steam admission port, B the condensed steam exhaust port, C the cold water admission opening and D the cold water emission o ening. The tubes c ass loosely through h'o es in the tube-platesfgnd f Referring now to Fig. 3 a single tube 0 (shown with the middle portion absent) 'is re resented passing at its two ends through holes in the tubelates f and f On the sides of the tube-pliites at which the greater pressure P exists slightly conical cavities g, h are made in the same round the tubes in which cavities packing rings 1' of round india rubber are inserted. These lpacking rings are firmly pressed into the ho es 9, h by the diflerence of ressure P=P,P which exists between t e cold water and condensing chambers during working, and. in their position r, they make a tight joint separating the two chambers one from the other. The diameter of each cavity becomes very gradually larger as the outer end of the cavity is approached, in such a way that at said outer end the diameter is somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the rubber rings. These rings when placed round the tubes and moved into position in front of the rec esses are forced into the latter by the difference of pressure at their op osite sides and are clam ed fast, the action being likethat of a we ge, by the two components of the difference of pressure, viz. the component N perpendicular to the tube and the component N perpendicular to the side of the recess. he joint-pressure in consequence of the round cross-section of the packing rings is taken up by the surfaces of com aratively small area which are formed by t e flattening of the 'r' gs at the places of contact, the result being that the oints are very tight. Moreover on account of the substantially circular cross-section of the rings the latter are enabled to roll when on account of variations of the temperature a variation of the length of the tubes takes lace. In this manner the tubes can expan without constraint and without wearin out the rubber rings because the latter roll on the tubes instead of the tubes sliding to and fro in the rings. The thickness of the rings and the inclination of the conical holes is according to the present invention such that the compressed rings do not resume their original round cross-section when the difi'erenceof pressure becomes zero and the tubes expand to the greatest extent. On the contrary-said thickness and inclination are such that when the difference of pressure becomes zero they remain on account of friction in osition against the sides of the recesses and of the tubes and that when the tubes expand they always fill up the annular space, which gradually increases in diameter toward its outer end, by tending to resume their original cross-section while rolling along the tube. Theangle of inclination and the rings can be determined for each case by calculation according to the coeflicient of friction and the magnitude of the differences of temperature. For average circumstances the inclination is about 1:7, the actual joint-pressure being about 7 P.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described,

comprising a tube-plate having an opening 1 encompassing said tube and received by said therein for the reception of the tube and a 0 ening, the walls of the opening being inresilient annular packing encompassing the i c ined from the outer surface of said tube tube and received by said opening, the walls plate inw ardly and in a direction or line of said opening being inclined from the outer 1 which if extended would intercept the axis of surface of said. tube plate inwardly and in a i the opening and tube.

direction or line, Which if extended would in- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature tercept the axis of the opening and tube. in the presence of two witnesses.

2. A device of the character described com- GUSTAV P01 il'lZ. prising a tube plate having an opening therein for the reception of the tube and an elastic annular packing circular in cross section and 5 Witnesses EnNsr KATZ, Y mm sr Emerson. 

